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T H E JOURNAG OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
TRANSFER OF THE EXPERIMENT STATION AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT The White House Washington, June 26, 1918 DR. VAN.H. MANNING, Chief, Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior MY DEARDR. MANNING:
I have had before me for some days the question presented by the Secretary of War involving the transfer of the chemical section established by you a t the American University from the Bureau of Mines to the newly organized Division of Gas Warfare in which the War Department is now concentrating all the various facilities for offensive and defensive gas operations. I am satisfied that a more efficient organization can be effected by having these various activities under one direction and control and my hesitation about acting in the matter has grown only out of a reluctance to take away from the Bureau of Mines a piece of work which thus far it has so effectively performed. The Secretary of War has assured me of his own recognition of the splendid work you have been able to do and I am taking the liberty of enclosing a letter which I have received from him in order that you may see how fully the War Department recognizes the value of the services. I am to-day signing the order directing the transfer. I want, however, to express to you my own appreciation of the fine and helpful piece of work which you have done and to say that this sort of team work by the bureaus outside of the direct warmaking agency is one of the cheering and gratifying evidences of the way our official forces are inspired by the presence of a great national task. Cordially yours, (Signed) WOODROW WILSON
.......... War Department Washington, June 25, 1918 MY DEARMR. PRESIDENT: In connection with the proposed transfer of the chemical section a t American University from the Bureau of Mines to the newly constituted and consolidated Gas Service of the War Department, which you are considering, I am specially concerned to have you know how much the War Department appreciates the splendid services which have been rendered to the country and to the Army by the Department of the Interior and especially by the Bureau of Mines under the direction of Dr. Manning. In the early days of preparation and organization Dr. Manning’s contact with scientific men throughout the country was indispensably valuable. He was able to summon from the universities and the technical laboratories of the country, men of the highest quality and to inspire them with enthusiastic zeal in attacking new and difficult problems which had to be solved with the utmost speed. I do not see how the work could have been better done than he did it and the present suggestion that the section now pass under the direction and control of the War Department grows out of the fact that t h e whole subject of gas warfare has assumed a fresh pressure and intensity and the director of it must have the widest control so as to be able to use the resources a t his command in the most effective way possible. The proposal does not involve the disruption of the fine group of scientific men Dr. Manning has brought together, but merely their transfer to General Sibert’s direction. Respectfully yours, (Signed) NEWTON D. BABER
Vol.
IO,
No. 8
EXECUTIVE ORDER ‘ It is hereby ordered that the Experiment Station a t American University, Washington, D. C., which station has been established under the supervision of the Bureau of Mines, Interior Department, for the purpose of making gas investigations for the Army, under authority of appropriations made for the Ordnance and Medical Departments of the Army, together with the personnel thereof, be, and the same is hereGy, placed under the control of the War Department for operation under the Director of Gas Service of the Army. (Signed) WOODROW WILSON THEWHITEHOUSE June 2j, 1918
CHEMICALS AND EXPLOSIVES DIVISIONS WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD The War Industries Board has created two new divisions to be known as the Chemicals Division and the Explosives Division. Charles H. MacDowell, formerly chief of the Chemicals Section, has been made Director of the Chemicals Division, and M. F. Chase, Director of the Explosives Division. The Chemicals Division will be sub-divided into sections to handle the various commodities with which it is concerned, the chiefs of which will be as follows: Acids and Heavy Chemicals-Albert R. Brunker, Russell S. Hubbard, and A. E. Wells. Artificial and Vegetable Dye-J. F. Schoellkopf, Jr. Alkali and Chlorine-H. G. Carrell. Asbestos, Chemical Class, and Stonewave-Robert M. Torrence. Coal Gas Products (benzol, toluol, etc., including commandeering and’ allocation of toluol)-J. M. Morehead, Ira C. Darling, associate. Rare Gases, Nitrogen and Oxygen-Chief not named, Creosote-Ira C. Darling. Electrodes and Abrasives-Henry C. DuBois. Ethyl Alcohol (molasses and grain)-William G. Woolfolk. Fevro-alloys (chrome, manganese, and tungsten ores)-Hugh W. Sanford, C. D. Tripp, J. H. McRenzie. Pine Chemicals-A. G . Rosengarten. Nitrates-Charles H. MacDowell, J. A. Bocker. Paint and Pigment-Russell S. Hubbard. Platinum-C. H. Conner, R . H . Carleton, G. I. DeNike. Ref~actories--Charles Catlett. Sulfur and Pyvites-Williani G. Woolfolk, A. E. Wells. Tanning Matevial (including inedible oils, fats, and waxes)-E. J. Haley, E. A. Prosser, Frank Whitney, Harold G. Wood. Technical and Consulting-E. R. Weidlein, Herbert E. Moody, Thomas P. McCutcheon. Wood Chemicals-C. H. Conner, A. H Smith, R. D. Walker, Frank Whitney. Statistics, Chemical (joint office)-Captain Willis B. Rice, Army; Lieutenant M. R Gordon, Army; Assistant Paymaster Raymond P . Dunning, Navy; Arthur Minnick, Chemicals Division.
A representative of the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and other departments have been assigned to each section, and with the Commodity Chief constitute the sections’ memhership. I n the Explosives Division, Mr. Chase coordinates with representatives of the Army, the Navy, and other departments concerned, and consults with the various section chiefs of the Chemicals Division. THE OFFICIAL U. S. BULLETIN Owing to the enormous increase of Government war work, the governmental departments a t Washington are being flooded with letters of inquiry on every conceivable subject concerning the war, and i t has been found a physical impossibility for the clerks, though they number an army in themselves now, to give many of theseletters proper attention andreply. Thereis published daily a t Washington, under authority of and by direction of the President, a Government newspaper, The Oficial U. S. Bulletin. This newspaper prints every day all the more important rulings.
